As I mentioned last week, Saturday night my girlfriend and I had some major plans. No, we didn’t have reservations at some swanky Italian restaurant in the North End. Nope, it was all about STAR WARS IN CONCERT BABY!!!! While most girlfriends would bemoan the idea of hanging out with Star Wars geeks for an entire night, she rose to the occasion, and this is what I walked into when I arrived at her apartment to pick her up:

How awesome is that!?!

We met Steph HB and her family for some grub beforehand at Boston Beer Works, and I promptly got dominated by her son, Drew, in Star Wars trivia. However, I totally redeemed myself when he challenged me to see who could finish their dinner faster. I never lose to a ten year old, twice.

After dinner, we walked five minutes to the venue (TD Bank North Garden, where the Celtics and Bruins play), and were able to walk around a bit to see the exhibits on display. As you can imagine, I was in nerd heaven. Here’s a picture I took of Darth Vader:

And here’s Lisa and I next to Chloe Kardashian Chewbecca:

Needless to say, it was an awesome night all-around. The show itself was spectacular. It goes without saying that I cried like a 13 year old girl at a Jonas Brothers concert when the opening credits started. What’s more, Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO in all the movies, was there in person narrating the entire show. If I weren’t in the nosebleed section, I would have ripped the man’s clothes off (no homo).

Unfortunately the show ended, and as we walked back to the subway to head home, Lisa received at least five comments about her hair. The Force is strong with this one it is.

2. We had an amazing turn out for Eric Cressey and Mike Reinold’s Testing, Treating, and Training the Shoulder: From Assessment to Performance seminar yesterday in Hudson, MA. I won’t go into too much detail about what they covered since they’re going to be releasing a dvd of the entire seminar in a few weeks, but needless to say it was an awesome day of learning:

• Assessing one’s breathing patterns could very well be the next frontier with regards to treating shoulder dysfunction. While there’s certainly a plethora of possible scenarios that could be the culprit for one’s shoulder pain; namely thoracic spine mobility, lack of scapular stability, rotator cuff weakness, acromion type, poor exercise selection, poor exercise technique, and hip mobility (to name a few), breathing patterns are just now starting to get a lot more attention.

• Oftentimes it’s the simple stuff that works the best. While many PT’s and athletic trainers like to use fancy equipment and machinery to treat their patients, Mike mentioned that the side lying external rotation is about as money as it gets when dealing with rotator cuff weakness- done properly of course.

• No one can understand what the hell anyone from Ireland is saying. Just kidding Robbie……;o)

• Rhythmic stabilizations, whether by manual resistance or using a small weighed ball (or even a body blade) are the shitznit when it comes to improving instability issues.

• Most people don’t know how to do a push-up correctly. Furthermore, Eric alluded to the fact that he’d much rather load a push-up with external loading than rush someone back to benching. Anyone who doesn’t think you can get a training effect from loaded push-ups, is kidding themselves.

• According to Roger, Rosemary (our resident chef) makes the best chicken he’s ever eaten outside of KFC. I guess that’s a compliment, right?

3. Speaking of assessments, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks Assess and Correct is now available.

I’m a firm believer that everything is an assessment. Someone comes to me with back pain, something as simple as observing how they sit up could be an assessment. Along similar lines, whenever I work with mothers who complain of low back/hip pain, I always ask which side they tend to carry their children on. More often than not, the side that bothers them the most is the same side they predominately hoist/carry their kids. Everything is an assessment.

It often amazes me that fitness professionals are so “inconsistent” when it comes to assessments. On one hand of the spectrum you have those trainers who spend three days assessing someone because their left big toe pronates three degrees. Conversely, you have those who don’t do anything other than show a client how to use the Cybex circuit. Sadly, the latter is usually what ends up happening.

Suffice it to say, the assessment is kind of a big deal. It’s what we use to ascertain what each individual needs with regards to any dysfunctions, imbalances, or postural issues that need to be dealt with. Furthermore, it essentially lays the foundation for all future programming FOR THAT PARTICULAR PERSON. Just like a snowflake, there is no one individual who is the same. And holy shit, that was the lamest analogy I have ever used, but I’m rolling with it.

If you’re a fitness professional, or just someone who’s beat up all the time, Assess and Correct will undoubtedly be a welcome addition to your library. Check it out HERE. Lets be honest, Eric, Mike, and Bill are smarter than God, NASA, and Sarah Palin……combined. You can’t go wrong.

4. EPIC fail of the week: thanks to Tom for the photo.

UPDATE: Wow, that’s the last time I post a blog without proofreading it first. I just came home and re-read what I wrote and found like seven errors. Where’s the grammar Nazi when you need her? Dammit mom,

Straight Talk About High Fructose Corn Syrup: What It is and What It Ain’t (Research Review)- Lyle McDonald

This may come as a surprise considering my past ramblings on the topic, but Lyle does make some great points in this research review. Namely, HFCS isn’t as evil as it’s made out to be in the lay media. Poodles on the other hand? Evil bastards.

My Thoughts on the Lumbar Spine and Low Back (Parts I, II, and III)– Mike Robertson

NOTE: the above link takes you to the sign up page for Mike’s newsletter.

Mike does a fantastic job with his newsletter (which goes without saying), and the article(s) above are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the quality of information he continually provides. What’s more, just for signing up, you’ll be able to download a free four-part low back care presentation Mike gave not too long ago. And, he’ll take out your garbage. Maybe wash your car if you play your cards right.

Phys Ed: Why Doesn’t Exercise Lead to Weight Loss?– Gretchen Reynolds

Maybe it’s because guys like Idiot McIdington continue to say stuff like this:

“If you work out at an easy intensity, you will burn a higher percentage of fat calories” than if you work out a higher intensity, Carey says, so you should draw down some of the padding you’ve accumulated on the hips or elsewhere — if you don’t replace all of the calories afterward. To help those hoping to reduce their body fat, he published formulas in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research last month that detailed the heart rates at which a person could maximize fat burning. “Heart rates of between 105 and 134” beats per minute, Carey said, represent the fat-burning zone. “It’s probably best to work out near the top of that zone,” he says, “so that you burn more calories over all” than at the extremely leisurely lower end.

Sorry dude, but 90% of nothing is still nothing. I mean technically, I’m in the “fat burning zone” just sitting here typing this blog post. So, if I have my math right, I should have a 16 pack by lunch time.

Seriously, I thought this myth was debunked in like 1986? I can’t believe this guy is a doctor. Did anyone check to see if his diploma is written in crayon or something?

Teen Obesity: Lack of Exercise May Not Be to Blame– Alice Park

This article was sent to me by one of my readers, Chuck, who had nothing else to say other than:

Here’s another piece of gorgeous crap.

The article itself wasn’t that bad. To the authors’ credit, she did make a point to inform the reader not to draw any rash conclusions- which is perplexing, given the title. Nevertheless, it still amazes me that researchers still choose to use self-reporting data. It’s pretty much assumed that people will always OVER estimate how much they really exercise. Which reminds me, I need to go kick a poodle in the face. Feel the burn

1. I hate ESPN Fantasy Football with a passion. I’d go so far as to say that I hate it more than when you ask someone “is today (insert day of the week here) ?,” and they respond with “all day!” Ahhhhhh, I HATE it!!!!!

In years past, I’ve used Yahoo sports for all my fantasy needs (I know that came out wrong, but get your mind out of the gutter). However, this year we decided to go with ESPN for our annual Cressey Performance fantasy football league. Not once, but twice, I’ve “set” my team for the week—–only to realize (after the fact) that I didn’t click the “save roster” button.

With Yahoo, you set your line-up, and it’s saved automatically. As it should be. I mean you would think that with today’s technology, ESPN would get their shit together. They seemingly have cameras set up everywhere on the field except up Peyton Manning’s ass, not to mention machines that can predict the wind direction for the 2016 Super Bowl. Yet, despite all of this, they can’t somehow figure out a way to automatically save my fantasy football roster? W to the TF.

2. I know the picture below is a bit blurry, but a client of mine sent it to me this morning from her cell phone.

Hey, if you want to pay someone to stand next to you while you run on a treadmill, go for it. Far be it from me to be judgemental. I just think this is a slippery slope to go down. What’s next? Paying someone to kick you in the nuts?

3. Only 39 more days:

4. I had a few free hours this weekend to catch up on some much needed continuing education- and was able to watch Nick Tumminello’s Warm-Up Progressions Vol. 2: Dynamic Mobility dvd.

True to form, Nick didn’t disappoint. Anyone who’s familiar with his stuff, knows that Nick is one of those guys that definitely thinks “outside the box.” What’s more, his creativity makes him second to none with regards to new and innovative exercises that can be implemented immediately. I put myself through this very dynamic circuit, and felt like a million bucks afterwards.

5. I’m definitely looking forward to Eric Cressey and Mike Reinold’s seminar this weekend, Testing, Treating, and Training the Shoulder: From Assessment to High Performance. We’re hosting it at CP on Sunday, and it should be a great time. While registration is closed, the seminar is being taped and will be available on dvd- so keep your eyes peeled for more information on that front. In the meantime, you can check out Mike’s blog HERE.

6. I wanted to post the recipe for this black bean dip my girlfriend made yesterday, but I just tried to call her and she isn’t picking up her phone. I’ll update this later and post it. In the meantime, check out this picture of Audrina Partridge.

I was having this argument with some of our pro-baseball guys the other day on who was the hottest girl on The Hills, and my feeling is that Audrina is…….hands-down. Then again, I’m a brunette guy so……..

WINNER!

UPDATE: As promised, here’s the recipe for the black bean dip:

1 can of organic black beans

1 quarter of a white onion

a few (5 or 6 if you love it) roasted garlic cloves (or one small raw clove)

2-3 tbsp of sundried tomatoes (in olive oil is better)

a little salt and pepper

some veggie broth to make sure it is moist enough to blend

It’s November 6th, which not only means my birthday is like three weeks away, but also means the holiday season is right around the corner. Which is to say, I’m totally looking forward to dominating Thanksgiving dinner. It’s the one day out of the year (outside of every god damn day) that I don’t care what I shove down my pie hole.

Along similar lines, I think it’s a safe assumption that some people reading this blog are going to be one of the many who put on the inevitable holiday weight gain. Thankfully, that’s where Alwyn Cosgrove and Mike Roussell come in. They’ve just released Warp Speed Fat Loss 2.0 this week. Honestly, as much as I loved the first edition, this version undoubtedly ups the ante, and has definitely gotten a few of our clients fired up. Word on the street is that our very own Brian St. Pierre is giving it a go. We all know what happened last time…..

And, as an added incentive, there are a bunch sweet bonuses being offered for a limited time only. You can check it out HERE.

That said, it’s Friday, the weekend is here, and since I’ve written like three legit blogs in row, I figured it was high time that I made a Mephistopheles/Tracy Anderson reference (it’s been at least 48 hours). I can’t help it. It’s like I’m a moth drawn to a flame when it comes to this stuff. To that end, below is a video one of my readers (Pau) sent me. True to form, I wasn’t able to last more than two minutes before I felt a sudden urge to stick my finger in an electrical socket and/or jump into a live volcano.

It still amazes me that people actually think she knows what the hell she’s talking about. Who can honestly take her seriously after saying BS like this:

With my new method, I’ve implemented new sequencing and choreography that keeps the accessory muscles really awake and alert, and pulls the larger muscle groups in, so that your muscular structure is teeny-tiny; but strong, with lots of sexy definition.

Wow, it’s almost like I need a Moron-to-English dictionary to figure out what the hell she’s saying. If anyone would care to shed some light, I’d be happy to listen. I mean, I could have my niece talk into a camera and she would sound more credible. And she’s four years old

This is a quote that I “stole” from Mike Boyle whom I am sure “stole” it from someone else (I think it was Diane Lee actually).

The fact of the matter is, most (read: not all) people shouldn’t be running (especially women). What’s the first thing that women do to get into shape? They hightail it to the local store and buy a new pair of pearly white running shoes and go for a jog outside. What’s the first piece of equipment that women will gravitate towards if they have never set foot in a gym before? The treadmill. And more often than not, both scenarios DO NOT look pretty.

I watch some of these women running (you too men, you’re not off the hook) and it just looks painful. How can they possibly think that this is good for them? I can walk on a floor of broken glass barefoot and that would be less painful than watching some of these women run.

In all actuality, running is a fairly advanced form of exercise. Within any given mile, there are about 1500 foot strikes. Ask any personal trainer or strength coach if they would EVER allow an elite athlete (let alone your average soccer mom) to perform a plyometric protocol that calls for 1500 foot strikes on a daily basis consistently, and I am willing to bet you will get some perplexed looks. Yet, day in and day out, I will see women who are 20-30 lbs overweight trudging over to the treadmill to get their 3 miles in.

Why is running not so great for women? Well, there are a few, but the main one boils down to the Q-angle. Women, by nature have a greater Q-angle compared to men (wide hips, narrow knees) which predisposes them to a number of problems that aren’t normally an issue for men.

Please understand, that I am NOT saying that running is “bad” for all women, nor am I saying that it is “bad” in general. But what I am saying is that there are better ways to get into shape. And that’s the point…you need to be in shape to run. In doing so, you’re body will be able to handle the stress MUCH more efficiently and you will be less prone to all of those nagging injuries that come with being a runner.

I HIGHLY suggest you read this article written by Mike Boyle: “Why (Most) Women Shouldn’t Run” and read it with an objective eye and really make an effort to understand what he is trying to say. After reading the article, read Mike’s follow up article here. Needless to say, people tend to read what they want to read and often times miss the point of certain articles. If you’re already an “elite” runner or have been running for years with no problems, then obviously “we” are not referring to you and these articles and blog post aren’t meant for you. But for MANY MANY people out there, this information is so very important.

Last Friday, I discussed the Pareto Principle. To summarize, it was named after an Italian economist (Vilfredo Pareto), who demonstrated that 80% of the wealth in Italy was owned by only 20% of the population. Taking it a step further, many have described it as a Law of Unequal Return, whereupon certain activities tend to give more return on investment than others. Incidentally, it should come as no surprise that many (if not all) aspects of fitness, can be applied here.

Taking a step back for a bit, anyone who’s ever listened to Alwyn Cosgrove lecture, knows that he often discusses the Big Rocks Theory.

For those who aren’t familiar- the basic premise of the story revolves around a professor who asks his students to fill a glass with rocks, pebbles, and sand. To start, he stacks the big rocks and then asks his students how to put the rest into the bucket. Not surprisingly, the students place the pebbles into the glass, followed by the sand. In the end, everything fits into the glass.

The professor then asks his students to reverse the process. However, after pouring the sand, the students realized that the sand alone filled the entire glass and nothing else could go in.

“It is the same with time”, explained the teacher. “Give time slots to the big things before anything else. Otherwise, the inevitable sand would fill up your day”.

In short, the story demonstrates how a vast majority of trainees like to focus on minutia (sand) rather than the “bang for your buck exercises” (rocks). For those still not following, it makes more sense to identify the big items that need to be addressed, whatever your goals may be, and planning the small things around them.

We all know a friend or family member (or someone who spends way too much time on the forums) who wants to lose some fat. They’ll be quick to discuss any number of fad diets they’ve been reading about in order to get that quick fix. They’ll also talk about hormone levels, cheat meals/re-feeds, or maybe what the best macronutrient breakdown is for their blood type. Worse still, they’ll discuss which supplements they should be taking, blah blah blah. Maybe if they focused on, I don’t know, how many calories they were ingesting per day (or actually got off their ass and did something), they would get results. Focus on the big rocks people- not the minutiae.

Or what about the high school kid who weighs 140 lbs, and is trying to get hyyooooge. Here’s a theory—–less bicep curls, and more deadlifts. Better yet, when you can actually perform ten bodyweight pull-ups (with good form), then we can worry about making the guns more gunny.

Likewise, a great real-world (and less obvious) example would be a male client that I work with who wants to increase his bench press. To his credit, he’s a dedicated client who never misses a session and is willing to learn. However, if there’s one thing that I’ve had a bitch of a time trying to get him to realize is that HARDER DOES NOT EQUAL BETTER. You see, he’s always felt that in order to get better, he needs to grind out every………..single…………rep. Not necessarily a bad thing, but certainly not something that needs to happen on every rep, of every set.

What’s more, prior to training with us at CP, he benched at least three times per week (shocker!), did little to no dedicated upper back work, and had cringe worthy form; not to mention referred to benching as his “chest day,” which as you might have guessed, is grounds for going to bed with no dinner.

While it’s taken some time, we’ve definitely made some strides. We’ve done a lot of technique work- changing his bodybuilder form (flat back, elbows flared out, slooooooow tempo) to more of a powerlifting style (arched back, elbows tucked in, and more dedicated speed work). As well, we’ve focused more on the quality of reps rather than quantity of crap. As a result, he’s made some significant progress. By placing more of an emphasis on his “big rocks” (tons of technique work, upper back development, working on getting faster bar speed), rather than the sand (how can I make this exercise harder?), he’s gone from a shitty bench to a sucky bench.

With that said, what are YOUR goals? Are you focusing on the big rocks or the sand?